Carp happy to be in deeper Red Sox lineup

BOSTON -- While with the Mariners, Mike Carp spent more time hitting cleanup than in any other spot.

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By
Tim Britton
Posted Apr. 27, 2013 @ 5:35 pm

BOSTON -- While with the Mariners, Mike Carp spent more time hitting cleanup than in any other spot.

He doesn't mind moving down the order with the Red Sox.

Back in the lineup again on Saturday, Carp will hit sixth for Boston against the Astros. It's a sign of the better lineup he finds himself in with his new team.

"It's been really exciting to watch -- a lot of fun ballgames, a lot of at-bats coming your way. You're not worried about getting three; you might get five today," Carp said. "That's been tough to come by the last few years in Seattle. To be a part of this has been pretty amazing."

Hitting lower in the order allows Carp to see how other left-handed hitters, such as Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz, are pitched earlier in the game.

The move east from Seattle also means a shift in ballpark, from spacious Safeco Field to Fenway.

"It's definitely more hitter-friendly, and it allows me to be more myself," Carp said of Fenway. "I don't have to try too hard to put a ball in the gap or hit it over an outfielder's head. I can go up there with a simple approach and just react."

He admitted Safeco could get in a hitter's head.

"We had a lot of young guys just getting their feet wet, and it's hard to see the big confines of Safeco Field and see a guy crush a ball to center field and it goes nowhere," he said. "That definitely doesn't help the self-esteem for the next guy up. You just go up there and try to execute your plan: Stay up the middle, use the whole field."